E. Timor has been separated from Indonesia for 19 months, since the
referendum announcement on 4 Sept. 1999. What are conditions there like
now? Information in W. Timor is that the situation there is very
horrifying and that those who return will be tortured and murdered. As a
result, E. Timorese in refuge ­ especially those in W. Timor ­ are
afraid to go home. To test the truth of such information, 18 Indonesian
reporters ­ including Paul Bolla of NTT Ekspres ­ made a journalistic
visit to E. Timor from 6-10 Feb. facilitated by the W. Timor Care
Foundation (YPTB) in cooperation with Untaet. Follow this eye witness
story beginning today.

The visit went very well. Where we journalists expected to encounter
difficulties we encountered friendship and brotherhood. And it is
impossible that the entire visit was engineered to give a false impression
of peace because although we were on a tight schedule there was still free
time when we could meet and speak with whomever we pleased. The feeling of
no enmity was not felt only in Dili but all the way from Mota Ain to Dili
and on to Aileu. There was no exceptional security except UNPKF posts at
Atabae and Liquisa, but no examinations occurred. The only strict, but
polite, examination was at Batugade where not only letters but the
contents of bags were careful examined.

It seemed strange we were picked up only by one Timor Lorosae woman
using a fully air-conditioned IOM bus. Why was there no escort? This
question emerged for fear the bus might be stopped en route. In short,
during the time leading up to the referendum, the road from Batugade to
Dili was very sensitive. There were a lot of guard posts and examinations
were carried out by local youth who were very rude and even got violent,
brandishing sharp weapons when they examined people at the posts. The IOM
bus driver, a Timor Lorosae youth, convinced us that the road was very
safe. What he said was true. Not only was the road safe but it was
continually being cleared and cleaned by excavators and local residents
always ready to clear away any fallen rocks that may be blocking the road.
What's interesting, as our bus passed people on both sides of the road
people and children would come running, approaching the bus and yell out
in Indonesian, "Refugees! Refugees! Welcome!" Cansio explained
that the bus we were in is also used to take returning refugees to Dili
from the border so that the people thought we were refugees coming home.
The condition we experienced was very relaxing and there was no reason at
all for us to feel afraid. All along the road people greeted our bus
happily.

Due to miscommunication we failed to have our first scheduled session
with refugees who have returned to Liquisa and have begun to rebuild their
lives. Having waiting for us since the morning they had dispersed. Our bus
stopped in front of the Liquisa Civil Police Office so while we took a
break, the reporters took the opportunity to begin interviewing whomever
they met. In general they seemed dazed. Basilio, a civil police in Liquisa
who was invited to speak said he was a former member of Liquisa police. He
sent a message for the press in W. Timor to urge his friends, former
members of Liquisa police, to immediately return. Of 60 E. Timorese who
were members of the Liquisa police, only 13 have returned. "Please
invite the others to return to Liquisa, Mr. We here are very short of
police," said Basilio. We continued to Dili safely where we stayed at
the Oasis Hotel in E. Dili. The conclusion is that Timor Lorosae is now a
safe country, especially in Dili, and not some joke so that there is no
reason for Timor Lorosae people in refuge to be afraid to go home except
for those whose hands are "bloody," because their fear really
exists inside themselves wherever they go

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